The Ashes of a Blossom
by onecsm
Summary: Sakura delves into the depths of insanity after a certain snake gets his hands on her. The girl you know and love is gone; the new one covered in blood. Red always was her favorite color... Rated M because I swear, therefore so does Sakura. Kinda Dark later on but has my witty humor thrown into the mix.
1. Tragedy

**Chapter One: Tragedy**

"What did you say?"

She didn't mean to ask that. Sakura heard exactly what he said; she was just in shock.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Third Hokage, sighed for what felt like the tenth time that night. He was definitely getting too old for this. He had just told this ten year old academy student that her dear parents, and only family at that, was found murdered near the main road to the village just a couple miles out. Bandits it seems. Their cart was destroyed, possessions stolen and the mother looked brutally raped. Dammit! The Harunos were good people, one of the best in this village full of hypocrites and thieves. But this peace brings about laziness and a false sense of security, making the civilians think the ninjas are unneeded for small trips back and forth to other villages. This is what happened to Sakura's parents, and they paid dearly for it. Now the only one paying is their only child.

"I'm sorry Sakura. I will file the papers; you may stay in your home if you like. You will also be given your inheritance now. If you need anything, you know where to find me." Sakura just nodded, still in shock. She couldn't think about it, hell she couldn't think about anything on her way home. It wasn't until she was standing in her parents' bedroom that it all came to her. The flood gates rushed open and she sat hunched over in the floor practically drowning in her own tears.

"M-m-mom, d-dad! Why? How?" she wallowed through her tears.

"**Why? How? It's because of YOU, you idiot. It's because you're ****weak****! Isn't that why you became a ninja? To protect the ones you love. YOU CAN'T EVEN PROTECT YOUR PARENTS!" **That was Inner, Sakura's other personality. It worried her parents when they would see Sakura talking to herself and the doctors diagnosed her with Schizophrenia but Sakura always knew her inner was more than just a voice. She was another entity, just not real.

"H-how could I have saved them!? I wasn't even there Inner!" she practically screamed despite still sobbing her eyes out. Inner was quiet after that but Sakura knew she wouldn't be for long. She continued crying on the floor of her parents' bedroom until she fell asleep curled into a ball.

**XXXX**

**Meanwhile in some random hole under the Village…**

"Haruno you say? Isn't she the one that has scored perfect marks on all her academic tests in the academy?" Danzo asked his root agent who was kneeling before him. Danzo was one of the three elders of the village who believed he should hold the role of Hokage instead of his foolish old friend Hiruzen. However in all reality he's really just an old war hawk who does illegal things while believing (in his words not mine) that it's 'for the good of the village.'

"Yes Lord Danzo. Her parents were found murdered, which means she is now an orphan." the root agent responded emotionless

"Hmm, bring her to me; I would like to see if she's Root material."

"Yes lord Danzo." and he poofs away.

* * *

**AN: So that was the first chapter to my first ever fanfiction, 'The Ashes of a Blossom.' Guys I have never written a story before so this is going to be an experience for me and you. Hopefully you'll enjoy it; hopefully I'll enjoy it… ****Anyways give me any criticism you have and all that. I do have some plans, but I'm mostly making this up as I go along. If you have any ideas throw'em at me and I'll take a look. Thanks so much. Keep it cool everybody.**


	2. Thrown Away

**Chapter Two: Thrown Away**

'This isn't my bed.' Something wasn't right, one second she was trying to sleep while fighting off pictures of her now dead parents, and now she could tell she wasn't in the same room. She wasn't even lying down anymore; she was sitting on something hard like concrete and it made her butt sore.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes and gazed around the room she was in. It was dark; the only source of light an old light bulb hanging from a wire in the ceiling. The room was small and smelled of… earth? Was she underground? She couldn't remember learning anything about tunnels under Konoha in the Academy. Maybe they weren't really that important and didn't need to be known. Of course if the younger generation isn't told about them then who would tell the next?

'An enemy could easily hide out down here and pull some nasty stuff without anyone knowing.' Sakura didn't know how right she was.

So lost in her own thoughts she never noticed the elderly-looking man who had been observing her from behind.

'The girl is observant, I'll give her that. It seems she has already deduced where she is. Hopefully intelligence isn't all she has. While important, it is power that is the winning factor in a fight.' Danzo thought with a critical eye. He slowly moved around to the front of Sakura, not really trying to be silent. There was no need to.

When she heard movement from behind she swung her head around so fast she thought she had whiplash. Calmly walking into view was a somewhat familiar face. 'Do I know this old man? I don't think so…'

"Haruno." He said gruffly, not at all like the grandfatherly voice the Hokage spoke to her in. "You have been brought before me to prove your worth." Before Sakura could ask questions he continued on. "You will fight against one of my students and I will see if you can protect this village correctly, or if you belong in the trash."

Sakura had so many thoughts running through her mind she didn't say anything. How could she? This crippled (read: Ha!) old man just said she was going to fight to prove her worth. What did that even mean? At least she knows she's in the village, but why is he doing this? Do the other students do this to?

Lost in her thoughts again she didn't notice Danzo make a signal with his hand. A young boy around her age appeared. He was extremely pale and she couldn't tell if he was happy or sad. In fact, he didn't look to be feeling much of anything.

"Stand up girl. You get the first attack." Sakura steadily stood up, not wanting to anger the man. She looked to the boy to see if he was going to protest but he just got into a fighting stance, again with no emotion. 'What in the world is going on? I-I'm terrible at sparing! I've never won once in the Academy.' She looked around again and noticed they were waiting on her. She quickly got into her own stance, the simple Academy style, taught to everyone. Danzo scoffed at this.

"Alright, begin." So she did. She charged straight at the boy, hoping to punch him in the face for a quick knockout. Of course that never works, especially on a ninja. The boy grabbed her incoming fist like it was nothing while using his other hand to fully grab her outstretched arm. In a show of strength he used her arm to twist her into the air and slam her back-first into the concrete floor.

"-Gah!" The air knocked out of her, Sakura stayed in that position for a few seconds. Apparently too many seconds for the elderly man.

"Get up girl. This isn't over until one of you falls." What was his definition of falls?! Sakura groggily made her way back onto her feet and looked to the boy, who was waiting on her. 'Think Sakura think! Use the big brain you have behind that giant forehead. He's stronger than me, but that's expected for any boy my age. I haven't seen his speed yet but from his build I'm going to assume he's fast. I can't outrun him or out throw him… maybe I can out think him.

She made a run for him again, praying he thought she was just being foolish and going for another KO punch. When she got close enough and he made to grab her fist again she quickly dropped down and did a sweep with her feet to knock him down. Already knowing he was fast and would jump over it she grabbed one of his airborne legs and threw him to the ground like he did her. What she didn't expect was for him to use his hands to catch himself and flip back over. The boy had shown no reaction through any of this as his eyes met Sakura's.

"You fight like a brute. Your moves are easy to read. You think ahead but your actions themselves make it useless." This was the first time he had spoken and even his voice showed no sign of emotion.

Sakura's fists tightened. 'I know this! I should have trained more, this is pathetic.' "**Are you just figuring this out? And I thought you were smart." **Inner called out from the depths of her mind. "**You're going to lose, why not let me take over little Sa-ku-ra." **She said in a taunting voice. 'Go away Inner, you're not helping. You never help.' Ignoring her Inner's threats Sakura tried coming up with a plan. Before she could finish whatever she had in mind the boy spoke out again.

"A real opponent would not let you plan ahead like this. If you will not make a move, then I will." As soon as he finished it seemed as if he had flickered out of existence. Of course he was really just moving too fast for Sakura's untrained eyes. Danzo could see everything just fine, almost in slow motion.

The boy appeared behind Sakura and held a kunai to her throat. Sakura's eyes widened and her whole body froze. "That's enough." Danzo said. "Your obviously not worth the trouble training, you don't even have enough skill for the academy. I've wasted my time with you. Sai." In response to his name he knocked Sakura out while picking her up and holding her bridal style. Danzo slowly made his way over to them while pulling out a sleeping serum. He injected it into Sakura, causing her to fall into a mini-coma.

'At least I know one person who will want you, if you can call him a person…. Orochimaru."

* * *

**AN: And that's chapter two. Is it bad that I'm terrible at writing fight scenes when I know this story will have multiple battles in them… ah well, I'll figure it out ;) Anyways, tell me what you think and all that. Thanks for reading and keep it cool everybody.**


	3. Snake Charmer

**Chapter Three: Snake Charmer**

"Well shit."

Sakura had just woken up in a place she didn't recognize again. This time however she wasn't sitting on a concrete floor in a small room. The blossom was strapped to what appeared to be an operating table. She was in a sleep-induced daze as she looked around the room. Everything was blurry still but she could tell she had been placed in some kind of lab. The rest of her senses finally started to kick in.

"Oh Kami!" The smell was terrible. She couldn't help it and started coughing. This room reeked of death, and Sakura knew what that meant for her. She was frightened out of her mind. She just kept repeating, 'I'm going to die' in her head. Once the coughing subsided she went to hyperventilating, her breathing uncontrolled, sporadic. What was going on?

"**Your right, we're going to die. Well, we lived a good long life of ten years; I mean you've accomplished soooo much." **said Inner, sarcasm pouring off of her in waves. Her comment only made Sakura start to sob uncontrollably. "I-it's n-not might fault Inner!" Sakura started thinking of all the people she would be leaving behind, when she realized she wouldn't be leaving anyone behind. She had no one. Her family was dead. She had called off her only friendship with one Ino Yamanaka months ago for a simple rivalry over a crush. That very crush, Sasuke Uchiha, never showed any sign of liking her back. He even seemed annoyed by her and only responded to her in grunts and glares. In fact, the only person she knew who would remember her was Naruto. The thought of him made her scowl but soon morphed into a smirk and small laugh. "That baka, always asking me out on dates. I-I should have said yes to him at least once."

"**Yeah that shithead was always annoying, but he never bullied us like the rest. It was always the same shit-eating grin and, "Sakura-chan go on a date with me!" He's probably the only one of those fuckers I don't want strangle to death, although a good punch to the head sounds fine with me."said Inner, grinning like a Cheshire cat.**

"Ha-ha, I already did that for you, a lot; like I don't know how he doesn't have brain damage a lot. Kami I must have looked like a bitch." "**And you sounded like a banshee when you screamed at him."** Being unable to actually see her inner, Sakura glared at the ceiling instead. "I did not! I sound sexy when I scream." She said with a pout, but still in full glare. "**Ha-ha-ha, yeah! A sexy banshee. At least I've got you calmed down now ya little bitch**. **Crying makes you sound even worse." **This just caused Sakura to sigh.

Little did she know she was being watched very closely by her newest captor. The snake-like man's interest in the girl had skyrocketed once she had awoken. Normally a young girl talking to herself would raise a few eyebrows, but this was normal for Orochimaru. He had just assumed she was schizophrenic. That was until he took a look at the machine that was monitoring her brain-waves. If he was any other man his jaw would have reached the floor in surprise, but he was the Great Lord Orochimaru!, so he settled for blinking stupidly for a few seconds and then grinning while licking his licks with that super long tongue. 'Interesssssting.' he thought

Instead of just one like any other human, the machine in front of him had two sets of brain waves. Two. As in motherfucking 2. That either meant she possessed a whole other brain that was capable of processing its own thoughts at the same time of her own, (absolutely impossible) or she housed an entirely different entity in her mind that possessed its own soul. (still strange, but much more likely)

Orochimaru was stunned, this girl was no jinchurikki. There wasn't a trace of a seal anywhere on her being. He tried to think if he had heard or read about any other cases like this. He himself had been able to inject the curse mark he gave to his subjects with a small piece of his soul. This way he could influence them from within. While similar, this girl had done it naturally which was a first in his book.

Deciding to learn more he entered the part of the lab that Sakura was in. Sakura, hearing the door open, turned her head only to meet the eyes of an… incredibly handsome monster? She couldn't decide if it was better to scream or blush, but ultimately she chose to blush. Orochimaru decided to speak first.

"Ah, I see my blossom has awakened." Sakura flinched at his smooth voice. It held a sinister tone that seemed perfect for his appearance. She blushed deeper.

"Y-yes; May I ask who y-you are s-s-sir?" she stuttered out. Her polite, yet scared tone caused Orochimaru to chuckle. "I am known as Lord Orochimaru child. May I ask of your name in return?"

"My n-name is S-Sakura Ha-Haruno s-sir." Orochimaru smirked, 'Sakura eh?' "Ku-ku-ku, well I see my nickname for you wasn't far off then."

"C-could you tell me where I am?" she asked.

"You are in one of my many hideouts, far from Konoha." He replied wanting to judge her reaction. And react she did. Her eyes widened and breathing quickened. 'I-I'm not in the Leaf anymore! And he said hideout; that means he's a criminal!' Deciding to ask him the question that has been in her mind all along she spoke.

"Am I g-going to die s-sir?" she said in a low voice, barely above a whisper. Orochimaru smirked again.

"Hmm, that depends entirely on you. I will not kill you directly, but your will might be tested from being here."

"M-my will?" she asked, confused. "That's right; now let's get down to business shall we? I'm going to ask you some questions all right?" he answered, wanting to learn more about her.

"Y-yes sir" she replied.

"Good. Now, the voice in your head, what is it?" he asked, interest in his eyes.

"U-um she's me I guess, w-well a part of me. She calls herself Inner and me Outer. She says she is everything I should be, but I don't think that's true." Sakura answered, not seeing why he wanted to know about Inner. The doctors just say she's not real and that Sakura's sick. Is he not like the others? Well he doesn't look like them that's for sure…

"Hmm, interesting. Was she always there, or did she come about at a certain time in your life?" That one made Sakura think. When did Inner appear?

"**I've been here since we were born idiot. I just didn't ****say**** anything until I had to, which was when you were being bullied after you turned five. Weakling…"** Inner said speaking for the first time in the conversation.

While ignoring the idiot and weakling comments Sakura answered Orochimaru. "She said she's been there from the beginning but didn't appear until she wanted to." He took that in and asked his next question. "What is her personality like?"

Sakura didn't really need to think about that one. "Mean. I guess you could say she's my dark persona. She switches between trying to give me confidence to bullying me constantly. She always tells me to do things like hurt others or even sometimes kill them. I've never done any of it though."

Orochimaru chuckled. 'A being trapped inside of a human that doesn't want a weak container, but can't help but to insult them, and is quick to anger. You could definitely confuse her with a jinchurikki. Like yin and yang. Hmm, yesss I think I know what I want to try on her.'

Sakura could feel screaming inside her head, but it wasn't Inner; it was her instincts kicking in and they were screaming, "Danger! Get Away NOW!"

**XXXX**

**Leaf Village: Hokage's Office – 1 week after Sakura is sold to Orochimaru**

An anbu with the mask of a dog and silver gravity-defying hair kneeled down before the Hokage. "Dog, did you find her?" asked an already irritated Third Hokage.

The anbu didn't react to his harsh sounding words and instead replied with, "No Hokage-sama. Sakura Haruno has completely disappeared. There is no trace of her anywhere; no scent, trail, anything." The anbu was one Kakashi Hatake and although he wasn't expressing anything he was just as pissed as the Hokage. With his team of nin-dogs he was known as the best tracker in the village, even better than the Inuzukas! However, all the skill in the world could not help him find this little girl.

The Hokage took a puff of his pipe and slowly exhaled into a sigh. "Very well, we will plan on how to proceed now." It was then that Kakashi noticed the other occupant of the room: Village Elder and Councilmen, Danzo Shimura.

"This is the second search party that has failed and our best at that. You know as well as I that the girl is long gone Hiruzen. It is a waste of our resources to continue searching for her. She isn't even from a clan! An orphan at that; no I believe we should stop." Danzo said in a voice that showed he didn't care about what was going on.

Sarutobi just sighed again. He knew Danzo was right; if Kakashi couldn't find her, no one will. Sakura Haruno is lost to Konoha. "Alright then, I agree. I hereby call off the search for the orphan, Sakura Haruno. She will be listed as dead in our records. If she is alive, may she be safe and in good company."

* * *

**AN: And done. That's chapter three. Maybe the actual interesting stuff will be coming soon… or maybe I should just hold it off forever :D**

**Anyways, thanks for reading and keep it cool everybody.**


	4. Gemini

**Chapter Four: Gemini**

"Ku-ku-ku, I truly am a genius." Orochimaru snickered as he put the finishing touches on the seal. It had taken several days to conjure up a new one, but since it was based on another he already knew, it took much less time than normal, especially since he wasn't a fuinjutsu master like the Forth Hokage or Jiraiya.

He planned on combining Sakura's own soul to her Inner's. This had never been heard of before. He wanted to use her as an example of what might happen if a jinchurikki's soul was attached to the biju trapped within them.

Sure, a jinchuriki can borrow chakra from the beast within them, but what if they were made into one and the same. What he especially wanted to test was the new human-demon hybrid's life span. Tailed beasts are immortal because they aren't really alive. They're made up from pure chakra. The same can be said for Sakura's Inner. She is technically not alive, only being a soul; so if Inner were to appear in their plane of existence, she would be immortal. If the two are combined, would the new being become immortal as well? Since a true form of immortality was what the snake had been searching for for years, he was incredibly excited to see the results.

So the question is, how do you combine them? Actually, that one was quite easy to figure out.

The answer: **The Five Pronged Seal**…. Backwards. He called it '**Five Pronged Seal: Gyaku'**, which stands for reverse.

The intention of the Five Pronged Seal is to disrupt the flow of chakra between a container and its prisoner. The more chakra you pour into the seal, the more it disrupts the seal. If enough is poured in, the seal breaks, killing the host and setting the beast within free.

The Gyaku version does just the opposite. It mixes the host's and beast's chakra together. That in itself can be cool, but the awesome part comes when more chakra is poured in. This mixes Everything. It's like a chemical reaction instead of a physical reaction.

A physical reaction is a salad. You can mix components together, but you can also take them apart. In essence, they still have their individuality. This is what a normal bond between the two is. The Gyaku makes it like a chemical reaction, which is combining two components together and making an entirely new object; like adding oxygen to iron which makes it form into rust. You can't make the rust turn back into iron and oxygen, it's impossible. They are now one.

Also, normally the five pronged seal is used by hitting the target with their hand, but Orochimaru had made the Gyaku version to be written on the ground. When activated the seal would spread onto the target and enter the areas necessary.

So back on track… Orochimaru just finished the seal. He had been keeping Sakura asleep with his serum for the past few days so he could work in peace without her freaking out or anything. Although he was almost certain she wouldn't have if she had been awake. When she was, she seemed as if she had come to turns with dying. That's at least what she thought was going to happen. She had no idea Orochimaru planned on doing the opposite by making her immortal…

"It isss time." He carried Sakura's limp body from the operating table in his lab to a medium sized room where he had painted the seals onto the floor. He laid her in the center and sat down directly across from her. Next he proceeded to perform the necessary seals and called out the name of the jutsu.

"**Five Pronged Seal: Gyaku!**" he slammed his hands onto the earth in front of him, finally starting the seal.

The marks on the ground that would have looked like gibberish to most started to move. They almost looked as if they were slithering like a snake and wrapping around Sakura's body to strangle her. Once they were finished spreading he started to pour his chakra into the seal. The black marks turned a dark red and you would swear you could hear a sizzling sound, almost like they were burning into Sakura's skin. Apparently that wasn't far from the truth as Sakura's eyes flew open. She arched her back and started screaming bloody murder. It was like a scene from the Exorcist.

This went on for several minutes until Orochimaru realized something dangerous. He had thought he would have sufficient enough chakra levels to complete the jutsu but he was quickly running out and the seal was just over half way complete. If he went on for much longer he would run out, resulting in death. One of the only times he's ever panicked in his life, his mind reeled through any possible solutions to the dilemma.

He finally came up with one just as he was about to run out. It was risky but he would rather live than have something go wrong with the jutsu.

"**Cursed Mark: Cursed Seal of Heaven!**"

His neck extended and he bit her neck, a seal forming where the bite marks were. It looked like a circle made up of three tomoes like in the sharingan. With the curse mark he could stop using his chakra and instead it would use the chakra built into the mark.

What he didn't expect was the curse mark turning red and start spreading around her body also. It seemed to loop around the already existing marks, making it look incredibly beautiful and intricate. This apparently didn't bode well for Sakura as she started screaming even louder than before. Her back was arched so badly it looked as if she would snap.

"Almost there." Orochimaru thought as he could feel the jutsu finally coming to an end.

**Inside Sakura's Mind:**

She was dreaming again; it seems like that's all she's been doing lately. However this time it was different. She was in a small white room. **Everything** was white. It was empty, only her and four walls. There wasn't even a door. She was wearing a snow white dress that looked extremely cute on her ten-year old body. She closed her eyes, feeling lonely and slightly claustrophobic.

"**It's nice of you to visit me."**

Sakura spun around and met the eyes of… herself? Her eyes widened with realization. "Inner?"

"**Yep, welcome to my humble abode."** Inner replied with a smirk. Sakura's brow furrowed as she glanced around again. "This is my mind? It's not very… pretty." This just caused Inner to chuckle. "**Well your mindscape reflects on your personality. I guess you're just… bland."**

Sakura frowned at the slight insult. "I'd say I'm just normal." This earned another chuckle from Inner. "**Even normal people have more interesting minds than you, but don't worry; it won't be that way for long."**

Sakura's frown grew deeper. "What do you mean it won't be for long?" "**I mean Mr. Pale Face out there is about to make us one." "**Make us one?"

"**What are you my echo? Yeah make us one, as in one being. He's using a seal that will meld us together. Everything we are will be one. Our personalities, likes, dislikes, motives, dreams, ambitions." **Sakura's eyes widen as Inner starts walking toward her. She sticks out her hand and it starts going into Sakura

"**Finally I'll be able to live."**

Sakura closes her eyes again. She's scared but the experience of forming with her other self actually feels really good. It's like the final peace of the puzzle was finally being put into place. Before she can get lost in her thoughts she hears Inner shout out.

"**Wha-what's going on? This shouldn't be happening!" **Sakura's eyes shot open. The white room had now turned black and there was an evil pressure in the air. Wisps of purple haze gathered around their feet.

The walls seemed even darker than black. A darkness that couldn't possibly exist but here it was, promising eternal misery. To make matters worse, they started closing in on themselves. The room was getting smaller and smaller.

"**No, no, no!" **The rest of Inner merged into Sakura before she could react and finally the darkness overwhelmed her.

It felt like she was drowning. She couldn't breathe; the air just caught in her throat and couldn't escape. Whatever the darkness was, it was entering her too. Her head was suddenly filled with images of grotesque scenes of blood and gore. Places were battles seemed to have gone horribly wrong. Families cut down, children tortured. They seemed to keep at it for what seemed like an eternity.

She knew she was crying. At first it was because of all the terrible pictures she was seeing.

Now she was crying because she didn't care anymore. The images didn't affect her and she knew that was wrong, but does it matter?

She felt so weak. Sakura finally gave up and let herself succumb to the darkness.

**XXXX**

His little experiment finally awakens. She looks at him with a straight face, but something seems different with the emotions flickering in her eyes.

"How do you feel Blossom?" he asks with a grin. She stares into his eyes as her mouth curves into smile that was definitely not sane.

"Wonderful."

* * *

**AN: And that's chapter four! Sakura's gonna go loco! Now I get to have some fun. Also thanks for the reviews guys, I really appreciate it :) Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading. Keep it cool everybody.**


	5. Changes

**AN: Hey guys, so I was reading another writers fanfic and noticed something I've forgotten to do. The Disclaimer. I was all like, "Well, shit..." so anyway just pretend it was there for all of the other chapters ;)**

_**Disclaimer: onecsm doesn't own Naruto. In fact, he doesn't own much of anything; that's why he had to get a job.**_

* * *

**Chapter Five: Changes**

After Sakura answered Orochimaru she had promptly passed out again. Orochimaru smirked as he picked her up bridal style and brought her back to her operating table in the lab. He gazed over her form, seeing if there were any changes to her outward appearance. The only thing he could really tell apart was that her hair had turned a lighter shade of pink from the bubblegum tinted color it was before. As he continued searching he noticed one other peculiar thing.

The curse mark was gone. Like, it wasn't there. _That_ had never happened before. What could have happened to it? Quickly putting that onto his 'find-out-later' list, he decided to see what else had been effected. He wanted to look at her genetic make-up for any abnormalities.

Picking up a syringe off of his instrument table he injected it into her arm. As he was pulling the tab back to suck out some blood, his eyes almost bulged out of his head. 'Is this, black?' Her blood wasn't the normal reddish-maroon color, it was solid black.

Starting to get a little excited Orochimaru quickly pulled the syringe out and went over to the area with all his evil science gadgets. He poured the contents into a test tube and placed it into the holder of one of the machines that would break the blood down and categorize it into the information he wanted.

"Cooooooool."

Well it seems his little blossom has awoken again. Orochimaru turned around and- HOLY SHIT; WHAT THE HELL?!

So there sat Sakura in all her glory; that wasn't the strange thing though. The strange thing was the black blood _swirling_ around her hand in _mid-air._ She notices Orochimaru's staring and turns to him. She has a huge, childish smile on her face when she speaks. "Look 'Rochi-sama! Isn't this fucking awesome?!" The blood starts swirling faster, almost looking dangerous.

As soon as Orochimaru gains back his bearings he strides over to her. Both of their eyes looking mesmerized, he asks, "How are you doing this?" She looks back up at him and shrugs. "I just tell it to move in my mind and it does. Watch!" She looks back at the blood and commands it to stop swirling. It immediately freezes in the air. Next she makes it flow around the room, and just for giggles, starts swirling it around "Rochi-sama's" body.

"I can make it really hard to!" And it does just that. She separates the blood into needle-like spikes in the air and hardens them. She was so excited that she kept going and shot the needles outward, pretty much destroying most of the room. Luckily they missed Orochimaru and the important machines.

"Oops... please don't be mad." she says while looking up at him with super-cute puppy dog eyes and a pouty-lip. Of course, Orochimaru wasn't even close to mad. As he stared at her he was thinking of all the possibilities this ability could have. 'This girl is just full of surprises.' he thought with a smirk.

"Ding!" The machine was done compiling the results. He hurried over and started looking through the information. His smirk continued to grow as he read. He was only slightly disappointed at one thing, but the rest was amazing.

It seems that Sakura was half immortal. What that meant was she couldn't die of anything but old age. That was the only thing keeping her from being a true immortal, she is still going to age. In positive news, her healing factor has increased by over 9000%! Literally. Her wounds will heal almost immediately. She has also become immune to most, if not all disease because her body produces super-antibodies that destroy the foreign substances incredibly fast. This included poison. Yes, he was quite happy with the results. Now for the next test.

"Sakura, if you would please, release a bit of your chakra." he requested, but more like commanded. Sakura stopped playing with her blood and turned to him. She donned a mischievous smile and nodded.

And the effect was instantaneous. Her chakra rolled out of her in _waves_. Her levels must be close to a biju! And the chakra was vile, almost like the... curse mark. Orochimaru's eyes widened. That's must have been what happened to the mark. **The Five Pronged Seal: Gyaku. **While it was combining Sakura's and Inner's souls, it also combined the curse mark. It was possible because the mark contained a piece of Orochimaru's soul. That meant that the chakra mixed with hers and formed a new source. But if the entire mark was absorbed, what else could that mean?

Orochimaru had made the curse mark out of D.N.A. he extracted from one of his prisoners. A young man by the name of Jugo.

Jugo was a strange phenomenon. It seems that sometime during his life, or more than likely during birth, a mutation had occurred in the nerves of his brain. The mutation caused severe trauma in his mind. One second he would be a perfectly normal boy, and a very kindhearted one at that, and the next he would be a killing machine. His features would grow monstrous and he would turn animalistic, only being able to focus on the destruction of his target, which could be anything. Orochimaru had liked the way he could gain so much power in a mere moment and created the curse mark from him. The mark itself would only affect the host a little, making them want to kill, but able to easily control it if needed. However, if Sakura was combined with the entire mark, that means she absorbed the D.N.A. also. Oh. Oh Kami.

Orochimaru fought through the oncoming waves of vile chakra and met the eyes of Sakura. They were shining an incredible emerald color, shining with what, he couldn't tell.

"'Rochi-sama." she said in a sing-song voice. She was smiling up a storm. "I want to play." Never in his long life has Orochimaru heard those words sound so much like a threat. He knew he could probably handle her in a fight, but he couldn't help it. He was scared. The Great Lord Orochimaru was afraid of a ten-year old girl.

He quickly thought of a solution to keep him away from a confrontation with her. He pulled on a fake smirk that showed no signs of fear. "Now now Blossom, this room isn't built for playing." Before she could say anything he continued. "However, if you come with me, I have many toys you could play with as much as you want."

As soon as he said that the chakra stopped. Shit, it felt good to breath. She giggled and hopped off the operating table.

"Lead the way."

**XXXX**

The caged doors slowly started to open. Fifty or so men start pouring into a large concrete room. Well, you can't really call them men anymore. These are Orochimaru's experiments; mostly failed. The room was filled with nasty comments like, "What the hell is going on, is that douchebag finally letting us go?" and, "Watch what you say idiot! He's probably going to kill us by feeding us to some giant snake!"

They start to quiet down once they hear a buzzing noise on the loudspeaker, meaning someone was about to speak. Orochimaru's voice started playing.

"Ah, how are my little science experiments doing? You are all looking lovely. You're here today to win a chance at freedom. All you have to do is _kill this little girl._" and the speakers turned off. What the hell?

At the sound of doors opening the prisoners turned to meet the eyes of a smiling Sakura. All they had to do was kill this pipsqueak? Fuck yeah! The old snake must finally be losing his mind! (If he hadn't already.)

"'Rochi-sama! You weren't lying when you said you had cool toys!" Sakura said while giggling, with a hint of madness. This was going to be fun.

**XXXX**

Three men were on their knees, bleeding and breathing heavily. Blood was everywhere. Body parts were laying about and the room reeked of death. They were the only ones left. This little girl had killed around fifty fully grown men without breaking a sweat. In fact, she did it all while smiling and laughing. It wasn't even evil laughter. It was the laugh of a sweet little girl who had just been given the best present of her life. That's what made it scary.

"Would you look at that, three little piggies. I'm the big, bad wolf that blew your houses down!" she said while walking closer to them. They couldn't move; they were all frozen in fear. She approached the man in the middle. "Do you know what happens at the end of this story?" She bent down to his ear while smiling innocently and whispered.

"_**I eat you.**_"

**XXXX**

"Ahhhhhh!"

Orochimaru was grinning like a mad man from his spot behind the one-sided glass. So his little blossom was a cannibal. Things just keep on getting more and more interesting. Well, at least he knows now to warn her soon-to-be partners to be careful around her when she's hungry.

'Yesssss, I think it's time for you to meet them. _The Sound Five_.'

* * *

**AN: And that's chapter five. Yep, Sakura's a cannibal. Doesn't sound that bad until you start picturing a ten-year old little girl bent over eating another human. Your welcome :D Anyways, yeah I based the idea of the black blood from Crona in Soul Eater. And the blood manipulation is sort of like that from Deadman Wonderland if you've ever seen it. I needed a way for Sakura's fighting style to not become _too _repetitive. What better way to do that than let her create any object she wants from her own blood?**

**Thanks for the reviews everyone. I especially want to thank** **FairiesDescent for reviewing so kindly on every chapter so far. I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading. Keep it cool everybody.**


	6. Sound Five

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but I'm working on buying Kishimoto himself. The guy is stubborn though…**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Sound Five**

"Who's the squirt?" asked Sakon as Orochimaru and Sakura calmly entered the room. Well, Orochimaru did. Sakura was skipping while also trying to grab any snake that came in her general proximity. They were fun to swing around. Orochimaru decided it was time for greetings.

"Thisss is your newest partner, Sakura." At the mention of her name Sakura finally started paying attention and noticed the others in the room. She looked at each one and gave them a big smile. They were all looking back in disbelief. Sakon decided to speak up again.

"Wait you're joking right; this kid's what? Seven, eight? Tayuya's weak and annoying enough and she's thirteen!" Tayuya would have said something nasty if she weren't still focused on the child in front of her.

Sakura didn't like the way this freaky-looking dude was making fun of her age. And she's ten dammit, TEN! She puffs out her cheeks and gives him a childish glare. The cuteness in the action just causes more disbelief to the others. Orochimuaru just stood there chuckling; it was quite enteraining. "Ku-ku-ku. You do not judge a book by its cover Sakon. You should know this. You also know that age has nothing to do with power. Sakura here is quite feisty. Now then, introduce yourselves." So they said their names, likes, and dislikes.

"Jirobo. I like my strength and eating. I dislike women who swear." said a tall overweight guy. He may look fat but you could tell a lot of that was muscle.

"Kidomaru. I like archery and puzzles. I dislike idiots." said a smirking six-armed man.

"Sakon. I like my brother Ukon. I dislike useless pipsqueaks." said the pasty jerk from before. All of the sudden another head pops out of his shoulder. Eww.

"My name is Ukon. My likes and dislikes are the same as my brother." and he pops back in. This guy is really disgusting.

"Tayuya's the name. I enjoy music and playing my flute. I fucking hate shit-head lowlifes who poach off others. Oh, and I hate all of these guys too." said a cute red-head who was twirling her flute with a grin on her face. Sakura instantly took a liking to her. Jirobo looked irritated for some reason but didn't say anything.

Sakura had knew there was an extra chakra signature in the room but hadn't really paid attention to it before. She looked in its direction and saw a pale man walking out of the shadows. "My name is Kimimaro. I am the leader of the Sound Five. I like Lord Orochimaru and I dislike being useless." After he finished he coughed a bit, but it didn't seem too bad.

Sakura gave them another smile. (except Sakon) "My name is Sakura. I like playing and eating. I dislike not playing and eating or when someone tries to prevent me from playing or eating." she said. The others looked a little exasperated but Orochimaru just chuckled being the only one who knew what she meant by "playing and eating."

After licking his lips with his giant-freaky tongue he told them to follow him outside. Sakura jumped onto Jirobo's back and started humming to herself while kicking her feet. Jirobo just sighed and followed their leader.

**XXXX**

Once they made it outside they stopped in an open field just outside the base. Luckily the Land of Rice was filled with flat land. Orochimaru turned to them and looked Kimimaro in the eyes. With a smirk he said, "I want you to fight Sakura to the death. The winner will be the leader of the Sound Five."

Sakon and Kidomaru smirk while Tayuya's eyes widen. She quickly stutters out, "L-Lord Orochimaru! She can't fight Kimimaru; she'll die!" Before Orochimaru could answer her, Sakura jumps off Jirobo's back and runs up to her.

"Don't worry Tayuya-anechan. I'll be fine." She giggled out. Tayuya looks at her dumbly thinking, 'Did she just call me ane-chan(older sister)? She is pretty sweet. It'd be great to have her around but Lord Orochimaru is just killing her off by having her fight Kimimaro. What's the point in this shit?' Before she could say something else Sakon busted out laughing. Creepy fucker. "Sh-She doesn't even realize! Hahahaha. You're going to die kid! Hahahahaha!"

Sakura just ignored him and turned to Orochimaru with a smile. "When I win, do I get lunch 'Rochi-sama?" She glanced over at Kimimaro. Orochimaru returned her smile with an evil grin knowing full well what she meant. "Sorry Blossom but I need to preserve this meal for something else." He also glances at Kimimaro.

Kimimaro, seeing both glances, widens his eyes a bit when he realizes the meaning behind their words. 'I see.' He walks to the middle of the field and gets into a fighting stance. Sakura follows his lead and skips a little ways opposite of him. The others get in good positions for the soon-to-be blood bath.

Sakura bows deeply and says, "Thank you for playing with me Kimimaro-san. Let's have fun." When she returns to standing up straight she stares Kimimaro in the eyes with an insane smile. Kimimaro can see the madness in them and feels a small shiver go down his back."

**(AN: OH GOD A FIGHT SCENE, WISH ME LUCK.)**

Orochimaru crosses his arms and nods. "Begin."

Immediately Kimimaro shoots forward in a blast of speed. The other members of the Sound Five can barely keep up with him with their eyes. Closing the distance between them very quickly he uses his kekkei genkai to pull out an incredibly sharp looking bone from his back. Once he finally makes it to her he quickly lunges it forward, intending to stab her in the heart for a quick death.

His plan fails when he sees Sakura smirk and seemingly disappear. He feels her signature behind him and turns around in just enough time to block her incredibly strong kick with his bone-sword. Those on the sidelines were looking like fish out of water because of such a display of speed and power. Sakura kicks herself off of the bone-sword with a flip and lands on the ground a few meters away. Kimimaro decides to try his hand in fear tactic.

"My bones are much stronger than the average person. In fact they're three times harder than diamond. No amount of kicks or punches will break them." He says, trying to judge her reaction. His plan seems to have the opposite effect however when Sakura's eyes start shining brightly with excitement. She speaks up.

"Oh really?" she starts giggling. "Well let's see which is tougher. Your bones-" she then makes a long scratch down her left arm with her fingernail. "Or **my**** blood**."

As soon as she finishes those words blood starts pouring like a fountain out of her arm. Black blood. Everyone's eyes widen (Except Orochimaru of course). The flowing stops and the blood starts to seemingly move on its own. It starts swirling around her body, making the scene quite demonic looking. She smirks and makes the 'come hither' motion with her hand. Kimimaro scowls and rushes toward her again. Halfway there the blood shoots forward in several streams. Kimimaru, knowing not to let them hit him, shows amazing agility by dodging through them. Once he reaches about a meter away the blood forms a dome around Sakura. 'She thinks that will stop me?' He shoots forward and stabs the dome.

It doesn't even scratch. Growing frustrated Kimimaro starts making multiple stabs at it but to no avail. Inside the dome he can hear Sakura giggling like crazy. Kimimaro is usually a calm individual but this little girl is driving him up a wall. Even though he believes it's too early in the match he activates his curse mark straight to level two. Bones begin to protrude out of his body at random places and a drill like weapon wraps around his hand. His skin grows darker, making him look like a monster. The bone-drill, true to its name, begins to spin rapidly. He brings his hand back and stabs forward in a flash. Angry that it took this much power to do anything he can't help but be happy when the blood begins to chip away. He pushes harder and eventually breaks through. He keeps moving forward to reach Sakura.

She wasn't in the dome. That little BITC-AGH! The blood from the dome quickly wrapped around his body, restricting his movements. Only his head isn't covered. A little ways off he sees Sakura still giggling. "How?" he asks.

She gives him that irritating smile and answers, "I just walked out the back and covered up the hole while you were doing your drill thingy." He scowls at her. "Now now Kimimaro-san, no need to be angry. Here you look like you need a **snack**."

The blood that is wrapped around him begins to enter through his mouth, forcing itself throughout his body. Once it all gets in, Kimimaro holds his stomach, looking like he's about to barf. "Uh oh. Looks like somebody has a tummy-ache." she said while putting her hand to her mouth to attempt to keep from laughing at him. Her eyes were shining a bright emerald filled with insanity. This was so much fun.

"Thank you for playing with me Kimimaro-san. I had a really good time! I hope you did too because something tells me you won't be able to play with me anymore." She finished in a sad tone.

Hardened blood spikes shot out of him in all directions, effectively tearing Kimimaro Kaguya apart from the inside-out.

* * *

**AN: Chapter Six done. Short fight but I want Sakura to fight a bit differently in every battle. The blood thing makes it a lot easier :) Tayuya's going to be a bit OOC around Sakura because I want them to be close, like siblings. Thanks for reading and keep it cool everybody. **


	7. Memories

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I don't even own Microsoft Word.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Memories**

Naruto Uzumaki could be seen walking down the streets of the civilian district in The Hidden Leaf Village. He was currently reading the sign-up sheet for the Chunin Exams that Kakashi-sensei had just given him and his team. His teammates were Sasuke Uchiha and Ami Yakatori. Sasuke was his rival and the heir to his clan. Well, he was actually the leader since he was the only one left but it didn't make much of a difference. Apparently his brother Itachi had went bat-shit crazy and killed all of the rest one night a couple of years ago. Who knew.

Anyways, the other teammate is Ami. She's a purple haired girl who enjoys bullying others. If that doesn't make you hate her she's a huge Sasuke fan-girl. Naruto can't stand her. She even made fun of Sakura by saying she was just a chicken and ran away so she could cry!

'Speaking of Sakura.' Naruto stops in the street and looks over. There sat a small house, one that use to be filled with laughter and joy, but now just filled with an empty silence. 'This was her house….Sakura.' he thought as he sighed aloud.

Two years. It has been two long years since Sakura disappeared. Naruto thought back to the day he had heard of her disappearance.

**Flashback:**

_It was just another day in the academy. Naruto was the second to arrive, right after Sasuke-teme just like every other day he wasn't skipping or playing a prank. He sat in the back row and watched as everyone else piled in. The fan girls should be rolling in right…..about…..now._

_Barreling into the classroom came twenty or so girls all yelling and pulling each others hair. Why? So they could get a seat with their Sasuke-kun! Naruto got ready to yell out a date request to his pink-haired crush like he does everyday, which usually ended with him getting punched in the head._

_Only she never came. Sakura never missed a day of school, even when she was sick! He got more and more worried as the rest of the students sat in their seats. Iruka-sensei walked in and started calling role, only when he got to the H's he paused and frowned. He picked back up quickly though and continued on to the I's._

_'He didn't call Sakura's name.' Naruto thought. He looked around the room to see if anyone else had noticed but none of them seemed to be paying attention. Finally his name was called. "Uzumaki Naruto?"_

_"Uh, present. Hey sensei?" Iruka looked up from his clipboard and raised an eyebrow to the troublemaker. "Yes Naruto?"_

_Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head; a habit he accidentally picked up on. "Hehe sorry. Just wondering why you didn't call Sakura-chan's name." Finally some of the other students noticed their pink-haired classmates absence and started looking around also. "Yeah, where is forehead? She never misses." asked Ino Yamanaka._

_Iruka frowned again and sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment while tapping his fingers on his desk. He was trying to think of a way to say she was gone without freaking everyone out. He decided to just tell the truth. He looked back at the class with a stern eye, but had a hint of sadness. "Sakura Haruno has gone missing. No one knows where she is or whether she's been kidnapped or not." Some of the students gasped. Naruto was freaking out._

_"W-What about her parents?" asked Ino. Iruka sighed again; this was going to be a long day. "Both of Sakura's parents were found dead a day ago not far from the village. It seems to have been bandits." cue the gasps again. Even Sasuke was a bit shaken. This girl had lost her family just like him, but she's disappeared._

_All of the sudden the sound of annoying laughter filled the room. Everyone turned their heads to see Ami Yakatori laughing her ass off like the she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. Naruto immediately stood up and yelled, "What's your problem Ami?!" Ami stopped laughing and turned to him with a shit-faced grin. "The little bitch probably ran away because she couldn't live without her mommy and daddy. I'll bet she's just curled up in an alley near her house, bawling like a baby. Hahahaha." She started laughing again. Naruto had had enough. He was just about to beat this girl to death when Iruka shouted out, "That's enough Ami! I will be telling your parents about this. You have detention for two months!" Ami turned to him and screeched, "NANI?! Why? You know I'm right!"_

**Flashback End**

But she wasn't right. Sakura couldn't be found anywhere. Naruto had even seen Anbu searching for her, and if they hadn't found her then he knew no one was. He stood in that spot for a while thinking about her. He had never gotten over his crush. Naruto just couldn't resist her. The exotic pink hair. The way she smiled. But most importantly, those beautiful emerald tinted eyes that seemed to shine when she was excited.

He turned to start walking toward his apartment when he noticed someone else was looking at Sakura's house. They looked to be around his age, judging from their size. He couldn't really tell because he/she was wearing a hood. He walked closer and tapped them on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, but may I ask who you are?" he asked. The stranger turned their head towards him and his eyes widened.

She had bright emerald eyes.

"_Sakura_?!"

**AN: Boom! ;P Anyway Ami was that bitch in the anime who bullied Sakura before Ino stopped them. I gave her the last name, just picked a random one from my head. **

**Thanks for reading and keep it cool everybody.**


	8. Plans

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own a box turtle though. His name's Squirtle :D**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Plans**

"You'll have to do better than that Jirobo-kun!" yelled Sakura as she flipped over yet another boulder thrown her way, courtesy of the team's big guy. Sakon and Ukon quickly appeared from both sides and went for a punch before Sakura grabbed both of their outstretched arms and threw them in opposite directions. Sakon barely dodged an arrow aimed for Sakura while in the air. "Come on Kidomaru! That could've killed me!" Kidomaru jumped back and readied another arrow into his bow. "Well stop gettin' flung around and maybe you wouldn't need to dodge!"

"Will you two shut the fuck up?! Stop fighting and focus!" yelled Tayuya as she pulled her flute from her lips. Genjutsu was useless against Sakura so her music didn't have much effect. Luckily she had improved the most in these last two years, thanks to sparing with Sakura almost every day. Sakura had pointed out that her fighting style was pretty useless if she was forced into close combat. It was even worse if the opponent was immune or more advanced than her in genjutsu. She agreed and asked Orochimaru for help. Apparently his definition of "help" was making her training schedule ten times harder. In the end though she was plenty fluent in taijutsu and took a very quick handling of kenjutsu. She had also learnt a few other things that were freaking awesome (you'll learn later).

However, Tayuya didn't use a sword. While searching through Orochimaru's treasure trove of weaponry he had 'collected' throughout the years she had found, in her opinion, the best motherfucking weapon ever.

At first glance, it's a short metal pole. But when you add a bit of chakra the pole extends and a rounded blade is formed on the top. It turns into a scythe. And Tayuya knew how to use the thing,_ well_.

She takes the pole from her back and starts running around Sakura to get into her blind spot. Jirobo sees this and shoots a couple of mud balls at Sakura to distract her. It seems to work as Sakura giggles while she weaves in and out of the trajectory of the mud. Tayuya jumps into the air while sprinting and starts to spin forward rapidly. She then adds chakra to the poll and it extends, making her seem like an incredibly fast rotating blade. She begins spinning so fast the air starts making a ripping sound. Hearing this, Sakura turns around just in time for Tayuya to strike.

"Well shit…" says a now one-armed Sakura. She frowns down to the arm on the ground, completely ignoring the blood gushing out of the hole in her side. Suddenly her entire body seems to explode into a wave of blood. Tayuya has a mini-heart attack until she realizes it was just a blood clone. She hears clapping and laughing and turns her head in its direction. There stood Orochimaru with Sakura sitting in front of him. "Good job ane-chan! I didn't expect anyone to hit me." Orochimaru speaks up as well. "Yesss, you have all improved in these last two years. Now come; we have much to discuss."

**XXXX**

"So it's time huh?" said Sakon as he sat back with a grin. "We're invading the Leaf." Orochimaru nodded and gave them his trademark creepy smile. "That is correct. The chunin exams are beginning next month. The Hidden Sand has already agreed to fight with us with a little reasoning. Once the time is right I will kill the Kazkage and enter the village in his stead. In the meantime, I will be giving a gift to a certain Uchiha while you four get everyone settled for the attack." he said to Sakon, Jirobo, Tayuya, and Kidomaru. He then looks to Sakura. "And you Blossom, will be entering the exams on a genin team. Now follow me so you can meet them."

The two leave the room and walk towards another door. Once they enter the room three heads turn their way. Once they see Orochimaru they bow. Orochimaru greets them. "Ah hello you three. I would like you to meet your newest teammate, Sakura." He gestures towards Sakura, who gives them a big smile. Her teeth had become incredibly sharp the past two years to adapt to her daily diet of 'meat.' "Now why don't you introduce yourselves?" They nod and start.

The first up was a hunched-back boy who had his entire face bandaged. Sakura thought he looked like a mummy. "My name is Dosu. Don't get in my way girl." He finished with narrowed eyes. Next up was the spikey haired kid. "And I'm Zaku girly! I'm gonna be the best ninja in the Sound Village!" he said with an incredibly confident smirk that almost caused Sakura to laugh.

Before Kin could introduce herself Dosu faced Orochimaru and asked, "I thought genin teams could only hold three people. How can we have four?" The other two looked toward Orochimaru with the same question on their faces. Why did they have this pink-haired weakling on their team?

Orochimaru chuckled before he answered. "Ku-ku-ku. Your right Dosu, genin teams can only contain at most three individuals." He then apparently goes completely off topic by asking Sakura if she was hungry. Her eyes started shining as she smiled and nodded. He turns his head to look back at Kin. "I'm terribly sorry Kin dear, but I have no use for you any longer. Goodbye."

"WAIT, WHA- AHHHHHH!" She never got to finish her complaint as Sakura appeared behind her and bit into her neck. She pulled her head back, tearing the girls flesh apart. Kin continues screaming as Sakura pushes her to the ground and bites into her again. Zaku and Dosu are trying to hold their lunches as they watch with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. They both feel a hand on their shoulder and look up to see Orochimaru smirking at them. "Come on you two; let's leave Sakura to her meal. She'll join us when she's done."

He ushers them out of the now blood-stained room and into another. After a few minutes they finally hear Kin's cries start to quiet down until nothing could be heard from the other room. Their room was also silent except for the young boys quick, heavy breathing. Zaku finally looks up to Orochimaru and quietly starts off, "T-that girl is crazy! We can't be on a team with her. She'll eat us too!"

"Now, now; she won't harm you unless you bother her too badly. Just do as she says and you will be safe, I can assure you." Orochimaru answers.

"Bu-But-" Zaku stutters out before they hear the door opening. Sakura walks in, smiling sweetly. Her clothes were free of blood. She bows her head slightly toward Orochimaru and gives him thanks for her meal. Orochimaru nods and continues on. "You will participate in the exams. Dosu, Zaku, remember the Sound is counting on you. Also, make sure to test Sasuke Uchiha." He turns to Sakura.

"Sakura, someone from the village might recognize you. To lessen the chance of that happening I need you to dye your hair black. You will also go under the name '**Ekō**.' Do you understand?" she nods in agreement. "Good, I'm giving you permission to do as you please during the exams, just don't do anything that will hinder the invasion." she nods again.

Orochimaru smirks at her. "Excellent."

**XXXX**

A month has passed and they have made it to the Hidden Leaf without any trouble. They would receive curious glances from the ninja every now and then because of their headbands, being a new village and all, but there was no harm. The team of three was currently residing in a hotel until the exams start the next day. Zaku looked over from his spot on the bed to see Sakura putting on a hood and leaving.

"Hey where you off to?" he asked while sitting up. Dosu also looks to her. Sakura turns her head and gives them a bright smile before saying, "Oh, just going for a little sight-seeing." She walks out and gently closes the door. Dosu and Zaku look at each other and shrug.

'Strange girl.'

**XXXX**

'Mom, Dad.' she thought as she stood in front of her old home. It was getting late and the sun was setting, giving the house and street an orange tint. 'What would they say if they saw me now?'

Sakura didn't know what to think. She wasn't thinking of anything. Actually she was thinking of everything. It was all so confusing. On the outside Sakura portrayed herself as a sweet, happy child. She _was_ happy. Or was she sad? She didn't really know. All of these thoughts would run around her head all the time. She couldn't tell right from wrong anymore. Was there any need to know the difference anyway? Did she have morals anymore?

What are morals? The act of doing good to make up for the bad? But what if the good is actually the bad or the bad is actually the good? Wasn't there a saying? 'There are two sides to the same coin.' It's all so frustrating!

Sakura felt her emotions flaring. She was getting angry even though she wouldn't show it. That's why it was so easy to give in to the bloodlust. Everything was so simple. 'That's why I let Tayuya-anechan do the thinking.' she thought.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the other person staring at her old home. She felt someone tap her shoulder.

"Excuse me, but may I ask who you are?" a young male voice asked. She turned her head toward him and heard him gasp.

_"Sakura?!_"

* * *

**AN: Chapter Eight done. Sakura's mind is all kinds of messed up. I wanted you guys to understand that she has a lot more trauma than just acting like a little girl. Also, Tayuya is a major character in this story so get used to her. Anyways, thanks for reading and keep it cool everybody.**

**Oh and Kitteninthemoonlight, you hit the nail on the head :)  
**


End file.
